| Peak | Cucamonga Peak |
|---|---|
| Group | Aqui Nomas Hiking |
| Trailhead | Icehouse Canyon |
This was my first time hiking Cucamonga Peak. My fellow hikers kept telling me that if I can do Mt. San Gorgonio, then this should be a piece of cake. Well, they were half-right.
We tried to meet at the parking lot around 6:30 am. Yeah, no, that didn’t happen. The parking lot got filled up SO QUICKLY. I carpooled with my cousins and we did not want to park along Mt. Baldy Rd. and then hiking to the trailhead. Instead, my cousin ended up parking his truck on a slope, next to all the marked parking spots. I would not recommend any vehicle smaller than a truck to park on that slope. Our group started the hike around 7:30 am and the weather was pretty chilly. The beginning of the trail is GORGEOUS! The trail goes through a lot of trees and alongside a creek. About 2 miles later, the trail leads into the Cucamonga Wilderness. After this point, the terrain is all loose rocks. I do not prefer this kind of trail terrain; for some reason, it slows me down tremendously. For about 3 miles, there are a lot of switchbacks but not too steep. As always, our group got separated because we all have different paces. We met up at the end of the switchbacks, at a junction, and continued right. We stopped again at the Icehouse Saddle to rest up and snack/rehydrate. After the Icehouse Saddle, there are magnificent views of the canyons. Aside from the rocky terrain, I enjoyed the hike up to the summit. Since I was unfamiliar with the trail, it did seem like an eternity to summit. ALAS, we summited!!! The views are spectacular from the top! Definitely a scenic trail, a bit like San Bernardino Peak. After resting, eating, hydrating and taking pictures for the ‘gram, we hiked back down and made it back to the parking lot between 2:30 and 3 pm. I did enjoy this trail but I did think it was a bit hard since it was my first time hiking it but I find this to be true for all unfamiliar hikes I do.
